Getting into university is hard enough at the best of times—but when your chosen institution is a work of fiction you’re really up against. And that’s why this young joker’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application to Hogwarts University was unsuccessful.
But the admissions services’ response to the young man is still funny.
The unnamed A-Level student wrote a handwritten note to UCAS asking for a place studying ‘Wandology’ at the Harry Potter school.
In the application, he was proud of his skills in “wearing a pointy hat” and “Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials”.
UCAS replied, “We regret to inform you that your application to the stated university cannot be processed at this time for the fact that it does not exist.
“After consultation with our mystic (神秘学的) advisors we have also determined that even if it did exist, the course ‘Wandology’ would be highly in demand and thus require at least two As and a B in any of the following subjects:
Advanced Spellcrafting
Mystimatics
Defence Against the Dark Arts
History of the Mysticism
Shaft Design
“Your handwritten grade sheet claiming top marks in ‘Waving a stick about’, ‘Wearing a pointy hat’ and ‘Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials’ sadly is not suitable for admission, however, by applying through clearing you may be suitable for a selection of Liberal Arts courses.”
“Or, you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl (猫头鹰) and hoping for the best.
“On behalf of UCAS I wish you every success.”What do we know about the underlined word “Wandology” according to the passage?
| A．It is a course that is highly in demand in universities. |
| B．It is a course that does not exist now in real life. |
| C．It is a course that can be applied by anyone. |
| D．It is a course that is forbidden by UCAS. |
What can be inferred in the UCAS’s reply?
| A．Applying for a university is the hardest thing even in the best times. |
| B．The young student will probably start to raise an owl for the next year. |
| C．UCAS may approve the young student’s application for Liberal Arts courses. |
| D．In the end the young student succeeded in applying for Hogwarts University. |
Where may this passage be found?
| A．In a magic magazine. | B．In a history book. |
| C．In a science fiction. | D．In a newspaper. |
Have you ever dreamed about sending a letter to yourself or your friends in the future ? While express mail representing efficiency and speed is prevalent（盛行的）in China , there is another type of mail appearing as a new business : “ Future Mail ” . “ Future Mail ” service can make people slow down and let them understand the meaning of “ time ” in another way . And “ Future Mail ” letters are “ reminders of affection , friendship and love ”.
Lin Xiao fan , a senior high school student in Hefei , wrote a letter to her mother in advance to express her love to her mother for next Mother’s Day . Feng Xiao , a youth who feels pressure despite of some achievements in her career decided to write a letter to herself on her 25th birthday and have it delivered five years later on her 30th birthday through a “ Future Mail ” . She expressed her thoughts about her present life and her expectations for the future to encourage herself to face up to the challenges of her life with courage .
While “ Future Mail ” is gaining popularity , some people are concerned about what happens if the postal address of the receiver changes or if the company goes broke before letters are delivered . Actually , customers required to complete an acceptance form and make an assessment so they can be compensated if their letters or goods are lost or damaged .
Most of the business’s customers are college students and young white-collar workers . Psychologists said young Chinese might be given a vent（发泄）to their negative feelings through the service . Most people put their hopes and wishes in the letters so they can experience the connection between “ past ” and “ present ” while they receive the letters . It can help people reunderstand the meaning of “ time ” .The underlined word in Para . 3 probably means .
| A．paid | B．changed | C．bought | D．repaired |
Which of the following is NOT true ?
| A．People can express their thoughts and feelings to themselves or others through a “ Future Mail ” . |
| B．The “ Future Mail ” business is not perfect . |
| C．Only young people accept the new “ Future Mail ” service . |
| D．“ Future Mail ”service can let people reunderstand the meaning of “ time ” . |
You can read this article in newspaper’s part .
| A．sports . | B．science | C．leisure | D．policy |
Which is NOT the purpose of Feng Xiao’s letter ?
| A．To encourage herself to face up to the challenges . |
| B．To express her thoughts about her present life . |
| C．To express her expectations for the future . |
| D．To remind herself of something she must do . |
The best title of this article should be .
| A．The Different Kinds of Letter |
| B．“ Future Mail ” Business Taking off in China |
| C．The Advantage of “ Future Mail ” |
| D．The Letter in Future |
Animals are being killed by hunters in America in a cruel way, says an animal protection organization. There are about 1,000 hunting farms across America whose owners offer hunters an opportunity to kill animals that are kept in fenced areas.
Russian boar, zebra, deer, antelope and many other species are raised just to be killed. Farm owners charge hunters thousands of dollars for animals that they kill, many of which are close to extinction (灭绝).
The Humane Society of the United States says this type of hunting should be stopped because it is not fair to the animals. Many owners raise their animals. Others buy from animal dealers or from zoos and circuses that no longer want them. This means that the animals are not afraid of humans and they are easy to be shot by hunters.
Owners of small ranches (牧场) keep their animals in fenced areas so that the hunters can get close to the animals before shooting at them. On large farms hunters are taken to areas where the animals are fed sometime of the day. This also makes it easy to kill the animals.
The hunters want to keep the heads and chests of the animals they kill to hang as trophies (战利品) on their walls. This means that the animals are usually shot in parts of the body. That means they will suffer a slow and painful death.
The hunting is allowed across most of America but some parts of the country have stopped or restricted it. The Humane Society of the United States hopes that it won’t be too long before the rest parts of the country also give up this cruel sport.What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Fenced Animals Are in Danger |
| B．Animals Are Easy to Kill |
| C．Hunters Pay to Kill Fenced Animals |
| D．Animal Hunting Should Be Banned |
One of the main reasons why these animals are easy to be shot is that _______.
| A．they don’t run very fast |
| B．they are not afraid of humans |
| C．they don’t know how to escape |
| D．the hunters are good at shooting |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Many animals can run away when hunters want to shoot them. |
| B．It is very cruel to kill the animals in the way mentioned in the passage. |
| C．The Humane Society of the United States considers this kind of hunting as a good sport. |
| D．The animals are usually hung on the walls after being shot. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．no measures have been taken to prevent this kind of hunting |
| B．the animals usually get really hungry before dying |
| C．in most parts of America this kind of hunting has been stopped |
| D．people who do this kind of hunting are probably very rich |
Almost every girl wants to be healthy and beautiful. They try every means to make themselves look smarter. “What are the best ways?” Many girls may have this question in mind.
Here is some advice that is very important for girls to follow.
Keep fit. Check with your doctor for your proper weight range and work to get and stay within it. Exercise, eat properly, and drink plenty of water to achieve that weight and be as healthy as you can be. As long as you’re in your healthy range, you’ll look great.
Mind your style, from top to bottom. There are two things that can make or break your look: your hair and your shoes. Look through hair magazines and talk with your hairstylist about what will look good with your face structure. Always keep your hair clean and styled. Wear clean, feminine shoes. That doesn’t mean you always have to wear high heels. Make sure you can walk comfortably in them.
Be fashionable. Learn about your body type, height, skin and preferences. Discover yourself, and fashion will come to you. You don’t have to wear designer clothes, especially if you can’t afford them. You can look through fashion magazines, pick your favourites and then find the similar ones that you can afford.
Smile, and do it like you mean it. Smile, be merry and people will notice that. It will help you in many ways.
Be nice to others. Looking pretty doesn’t give you the right to look down on others or treat them badly. Only having good appearance doesn’t mean you are beautiful.
However, in order to get slim and beautiful, some girls can easily be absorbed in losing weight, resulting in eating disorders. Keep in mind that being healthy is more important than being thin. So try to eat healthy food, take regular exercise and keep a good mood.What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．How to choose clothes and shoes. |
| B．What is the real beauty for girls. |
| C．What are the ways to keep fit for girls. |
| D．How to be a healthy and beautiful girl. |
The passage suggests that girls _______ to be fashionable.
| A．wear designer clothes that can make them more modern |
| B．wear clothes according to their body shape and preferences |
| C．wear the clothes that other beautiful girls like to wear |
| D．wear the clothes that are recommended in the fashion magazines |
Which way is NOT recommended in the passage for the girls?
| A．Eating little to get slim. |
| B．Making efforts to stay fit. |
| C．Paying attention to the style. |
| D．Being happy and warm-hearted. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Girls should follow hairstylists’ advice to change their hairstyles every day. |
| B．Girls should wear high heels though they might be uncomfortable. |
| C．Trying to be healthy is more important than trying to be thin. |
| D．Having a good hairstyle is more important than wearing fashionable shoes. |
My Uncle Dave posed an interesting question to my wife and me when he came to visit us the other day. He asked: “What do you think the world will be like in 50 or 100 years, in terms of technology and society and so on?”
He says he asks many of the people he meets this question to see what their thoughts are. His point is that no one really knows. I mean, in 1945, could people have even imagined surfing the net or sending e-mails as we do? No way. And the pace of technological innovation(创新) is incredible (难以置信的). We’re on a more different curve than we used to be.
One thing I’m looking forward to is real software agents. There is so much information out there, but I want something that can help me find what I really want. For instance, in about ten years, I think, there will be no longer recorded music, and there will be some big databases from which you can download music onto your hard drive or whatever. At that point, there will be so much music to choose from and you’ll be able to sample things before you buy them. But the question will be how I find what I’m looking for and how I do find the music that might interest me. Or more generally, how do I find information that I want without spending all the time myself surfing the net? How do I find people who are like-minded (具有相似目的), with whom I might really want to communicate? I want to find those people but it’s hard to do. In the future I think that one will be able to build a community of like-minded people who live all over the globe. It’s going to be very interesting, I think.No one really knows what the future will be like because _____.
| A．there is too much information for us to choose from |
| B．technological development is too fast |
| C．people live in different countries |
| D．no one is intelligent enough to answer such a question |
The function of the first paragraph is to _____.
| A．explain the question given in this paragraph |
| B．put forward the topic in this passage |
| C．show Dave is a foolish man to ask such a question |
| D．describe a picture about what the future will be like |
The writer is looking forward to some real software agents so as to _____.
| A．earn a lot of money |
| B．communicate with some like-minded people |
| C．help find the correct information needed |
| D．spare some time for surfing the Internet |
The best title of this passage should be _____.
| A．What the Future Will Be Like |
| B．Listen to Music Through the Internet |
| C．Music and Software Development |
| D．How to Live a Happy Life in the Future |
Environmental health is defined as the control of the factors (因素) in the environment that may have harmful effects on people’s physical, mental, or social well-being (安乐). Because natural disasters expose people to danger by bringing up or threatening their immediate environment, effective management of environmental health after a natural disaster is of great importance.
The environmental health measures that must be considered after a natural disaster include the supply of appropriate shelter for individuals or groups of people left homeless, the distribution (分配) of safe and accessible water, and the protection and distribution of safe food products and so on.
To effectively manage environmental health during and after a disaster, it is important that a state of preparation is in effect before the event actually occurs. During an emergency, success largely depends on making good, rapid judgment and appropriate response measures. High-level decision makers, therefore, must be familiar with sound measures beforehand and should be given an accurate judgment of the disaster’s specific effects as quickly as possible.
This book is intended to serve as a guide for those who may be called upon to make emergency decisions after disaster strikes. The recommended environmental health measures have been listed in the order of priority in which they should be taken during an emergency. However, each natural disaster is unique in the degree or type of emergency. In response to any given disaster, decision makers may find it necessary to change the priority assigned to any particular measure. The first paragraph is mainly to _____.
| A．tell the reader how to understand environmental health |
| B．express why environmental health after a natural disaster is important |
| C．describe the terrible scene that is caused by the natural disasters |
| D．give advice on how to deal with the management of environmental health |
In order to effectively cope with the emergency, the most important is that _____.
| A．we should have enough shelters and tools |
| B．everyone should be familiar with the situation |
| C．we should be well prepared for it in advance |
| D．we can deal with it just as we did before |
We can’t do just as the recommended environmental health measures because _____.
| A．some of the measures have not been taken before |
| B．they are not the same according to different degrees or types of emergency |
| C．they are probably made up by someone without experience |
| D．they can’t be changed once they are taken by the experts |
The best title of this passage should be _____.
| A．Environmental Health Management after Natural Disasters |
| B．The Bad Influence of the Natural Disasters |
| C．Useful Measures to Avoid the Natural Disasters |
| D．The Importance of the Environmental Health Management |